Fred Springer, a retired, 20-year ITD employee, passed away last weekend at a Nampa care facility at the age of 87.

As a maintenance worker in District 3, Springer devoted his career to keeping highways plowed and snow-free in the winter and looked forward to the challenge of round-the-clock plowing when weather and highway conditions turned bad. He also enjoyed running a roller on special summer maintenance crews.

His ITD career began in 1962 and culminated with his retirement in 1982.

Springer was born on April 5, 1921, in Texarkana, Texas. His childhood was spent on the oil fields of Texas where he learned to operate heavy equipment. His was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps.

He and Pauline Anderson were married in 1952 in DeQueen, Ark. Five years later they moved to Caldwell.

He will be missed by his family and close friends: wife Pauline; his son and daughter-in-law, Bud and Mellodee Springer; daughter Vickie Woolery; daughter and son-in-law Debra and Richard Filler; grandchildren Linnea (Springer) and Rick Owens; Kari (Woolery) and Tim Mayo; Drew and Diane Woolery; and his great-grandchildren Kobe, Naomi and Tara Mayo.

Fred enjoyed life, and by his own admission, he never met a stranger. He was in this world to embrace adventure, and adventure embraced him. Until we are together again, wait for us on a thousand hills.